When Matt DeCapua took over the Avon Lake boys soccer program in 2013, the team was coming off a dismal outing in 2012 — a 6-8-4 season. Then, a transformation occurred to the delight of the Shoremen faithful.

It appeared to be déjà vu last year when the season first started — Avon Lake was 1-4-3 midway through the regular season. The Shoremen then strung together an 11-game win streak that led them to a district championship — a 1-0 overtime win against Westlake, a Southwestern Conference rival.

“My assistant Chuck Petrik and I are motivators, we’re guys that really push these kids and we expect them to come out and work hard all the time and never never quit,” DeCapua said.

“Last year we had a lot of one goal games. We nicknamed ourselves the ‘Kardiac Kids’ because they were stressful, they were really tough games for us. Looking at those games, we played all the way through every game. When you come out and play Avon Lake, you’re going to have to come out and play to the final whistle because we’re never going to stop coming at you.”

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Excluding ties, the Shoremen were involved in nine games that were decided by one goal, including three of their playoff wins and their 1-0 regional semifinal loss to Medina.

How exactly did Avon Lake rejuvenate so quickly?

“I think they felt a new voice last year was good for them and that they needed that extra push … I think that extra spark really helped them and they (players) knew we were passionate coaches and cared a lot about them and cared a lot about the game,” DeCapua said. “We just want them to learn how to play the game the right way and share the same passion we can hopefully extend to them as coaches.”

A player that was essential to last year’s team was goalkeeper Kane Adams.

Adams allowed 1.15 goals per game, and during Avon Lake’s 11-game winning streak, he shut out six opponents.

“Kane Adams is a leader in the back, he communicates well. He’s very good in the air, he’s good on low shots, he’s got great feet, so it’s almost like having a 11th attacker in the back we can play it back to him,” DeCapua said. “We feel confident when the ball is at his feet … time after time we’ve been able to count on Kane to make big saves for us, and realistically, to keep us in some games and obviously win a lot of games for us.”

Adams, now a senior, is looking to duplicate his success from last year and has been working hard in the offseason to be even better.

“You definitely have to put a lot of work in the offseason, whether it’s at a club team or with my goalkeeper coach. I put a lot of work in,” Adams said. “I’ve been watching the game and studying the game. … The World Cup was just this last year and that was definitely a good season for goalkeepers.”

DeCapua said he also expects a lot from senior center midfielder Evan Carlson.

“He’s 110-percent go all the time. He’s just got an energy that most players or most teams don’t know what to do with just because he can be very frustrating,” DeCapua said. “He’s such a spark. … If we have a player that needs to be man-marked, we’ll put Evan on him.”

DeCapua said he also gives free rein to Carlson and allows him to play whatever position on the field.

“I love it. It keeps things interesting and I’ll do anything the team needs me to do to succeed. Whatever coach needs me to do, I’m up for the challenge,” Carlson said.

DeCapua’s goals this season include winning a SWC Championship, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished by Avon Lake in over a decade. He also wants to build upon last year’s success.

“We want to show we’re not content with where we are at. We want to keep building and keep growing as a program. Mediocrity is not acceptable for us,” DeCapua said. “We want to show that we’re a championship program and that we’re one of the top programs in Northeast Ohio, maybe even the state of Ohio. We want to show that we can play with anybody.”

About the Author

Sam grew up in Cortland, Ohio, and graduated from Youngstown State in 2012 with a BA in Communications. He started at The Morning Journal in April 2013. Sam is a fan of the Cleveland Indians, Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Lakers. Reach the author at sameen@morningjournal.com
or follow Sam on Twitter: @SamAmeen.